Puerto Galera - Sightseeing at White Beach

Puerto Galera - is located in Mindoro Oriental , and is considered to be one of most developed beach resorts community near Metro Manila. Definitely it is one of the top destinations of both local and tourist alike. What is attractive in Puerto Galera is its crystal clear water , specially during summer.

This was my first trip to Puerto Galera last April 2012, it didn't surprise me to see lots of people, hey! its summer and as i said this is one the top destinations for tourist and locals alike.

I took a few snaps when we arrived , but somehow i realized  it will be hard for me to take good pictures at the beach.  so i decided to take a nap for the rest of the the afternoon and just take photos during sunset.

Unfortunately, after the nap,  a friend told me the weather had overcast skies. 

It didn't stop me to stroll down the beach and shoot though.

It may have been not the best sunset i've seen ( no red ball sun , no golden yellow skies)  but at a so called "golden hour" , it was enough to pull a dozen few good pictures , after all this what i came for.

And I was happy with what i got , and satisfied enough to put a smile from ear to ear.

When we left Puerto Galera the next day. I though of going back again , not because i did not have enough. but i feel i need to experience the other face of Puerto Galera , the one when the beach bumming season is not at its peak.

Enjoy!

Heres the itenerary:

day1 

5:30am - 8:30  Manila to Batangas Port

9:00am - 10:00 Ride a banka to Puerto Galera

10:30am  - check in at beach resort

11:00am - 12noon - free time

12:00am - 1pm - lunch

1:00pm - midnight  - free time

day2

10:30am - check-out at the resort

1:00 - 2:00 ride a banka back to Port of Batangas

2:00pm - 5:00 Batangas port to Manila.

Aliwan Fiesta - Battle of Festival Champions

I was shooting Aliwan Fiesta since 2007. And i did so , again on year 2008 and 2009 , but i never thought writing a blog out of it until this year's event. I still could remember the time I shot Aliwan Fiesta in 2007, and it was on a very hot summer and yr2008 was the opposite as i was soaking wet in the rain while shooting. Yr2009 was good , but i spent time shooting portraits of the participants and experimenting on slow shutter speed.

 Its been 2 years , and i miss it. There is something in Aliwan that makes me wanna go back and shoot. Maybe because most participants were eager to pose for a portrait shot , or maybe its the energetic and coherent  street dance performance that the participants performed not to mention the colorful costumes.

This year , i was back and this time i wanted to capture the emotion along with motion. Thus, every time  click my camera , i think of "Emotion and Motion". Shifting from a normal lens to a telephoto,  was able to see what beauty , motion , and emotion of  these street dancers has.

So , what is Aliwan Fiesta?

Its a yearly event held in Manila where all its participants came from all over the countries festivals. To mention a few known ones are: Sinulog in Cebu , Dinagyang in Ilo-ilo and Panagbenga in Bagiuo. Its a yearly gathering of these street dancers here in Manila where a street dance contest is held. Thus , this is what we call "the battle of the festival champions" where these participants will showcase their dance moves , costumes and pride for their culture heritage.

                                                 

                                                                  

So, just imagine... Aliwan Fiesta somehow provides you an overview of how diverse and unique each place you see in the Philippines.  

Its really more fun in the Philippines!

Enjoy!!!!